Boys soccer

Draganov breaks through

Dulaney 2 Loch Raven 1

Loch Raven boys soccer coach Joe Fiedler implored his team to know where Dulaney forward Angel Draganov was on the field at all times in yesterday's Baltimore County matchup against the host Lions.

The Raiders focused on Draganov because he is the type of player you might not notice for an entire game until he scores a goal to beat you in the final minutes.

The No. 14 Raiders contained Draganov for 97 minutes before he broke loose with the ball into the Loch Raven penalty area and had to be taken down by a defender to prevent him from scoring the winner. The foul, however, just delayed the inevitable as Draganov drove the ensuing penalty kick to the low left corner to propel the Lions to a 2-1 double-overtime upset.

"I had to work on the ball quickly, but I used my teammates often and we had some good combinations, especially in the second half and at the end of the game," said Draganov, who was a second team All-Baltimore County pick last year. "We were able to make some good chances. We have a tough schedule, but it is getting better. We have a lot of young guys on the team, but we are learning."

Loch Raven prides itself on defense, so after John Salvino put it ahead 1-0 with 23 minutes left in the first half, the Raiders swarmed to every ball in their defensive third of the field. Dulaney (5-4-1, 2-2) continued to attack, and its aggressiveness paid off with 26:34 left in the game when Miro Ivanov scored from 3 yards on a long throw-in from Reese Shipley.

Loch Raven (8-3, 3-1) has only given up eight goals this season, and despite the loss, it remains in the hunt for the county title.

The teams traded several chances in the two overtime periods. Draganov's winner started when he collected a pass at midfield, pushed the ball around his defender and then headed toward the goal before finishing the kick.

"You never like to see a game end that way, but it was a fair call," said Dulaney coach Scott Manning, a former goalie for the Baltimore Blast. "I thought we did a lot of good things. We were moving the ball pretty well. As the game went on, we really started to come together. Angel is a game-changer and he can do a lot of things on the field."